Chapter 5: The Master of the Flame
The giant Mongol soldier, Ningo Obami, was a 3rd Squad Leader and a famous warrior on the battlefield. But right now, he didn't look like a warrior. He was clutching his broken nose, and his eyes were wide with a fear he had never felt before. He looked at Ulfat, a boy he used to call a "slave," and realized he was looking at a monster.
Ningo didn't say another word. He turned around and ran away as fast as he could, disappearing into the dark hallways of the base. He was a leader of men, but he was terrified of a scholar.
Ulfat didn't even look at him as he ran. He turned to Wasabi Watayama. "The air here is too dirty," Ulfat said calmly. "Come to my library. It is quiet there. I have something very important to tell you."
The Library Secret
Inside the library, the walls were covered in books about power and the human mind. Ulfat sat down and looked at Wasabi.
"Wasabi," Ulfat began. "The war with the Japanese Samurai starts in three days. You are the Second-in-Command of the Mongols, but you were born in Japan. Your family still lives there. Tell me the truth—would you like to go there and kill your own people? Would you like to burn the house where you grew up?"
Wasabi looked down at his hands. He looked very sad. "I really don't want to do that, Ulfat. I hate this war. But I have no option left. If I don't fight, the Khan will kill me. If I do fight, I am a traitor to my own blood."
Ulfat leaned forward. His eyes were sharp. "I have a plan. If you follow it, your family will be safe, and the Mongols will pay a heavy price. But you must trust me completely."
Ulfat explained the plan in a whisper. He talked about the Ottoman Empire, the gold, and the costumes. Wasabi listened, and slowly, a look of hope appeared on his face. "For my family," Wasabi said. "I will do exactly what you say."
The Ottoman Deal
The next day, Ulfat and Wasabi went to see Uktai Khan. Ulfat acted like a loyal servant. "Master," Ulfat said. "Before the war with Japan, we need special materials from the Ottoman Empire to make our weapons stronger. Let me and Wasabi go there to collect them."
Uktai Khan trusted Ulfat's "Genius" mind. "Go," the Khan said. "But be back in three days. The Samurai will not wait for us."
Ulfat and Wasabi traveled fast to the border of the Ottoman Empire. They were met by a high-ranking Ottoman leader and a wall of soldiers with sharp spears. The atmosphere was heavy with tension.
"Why should I trust you?" the Ottoman leader asked, his hand resting on his sword. His eyes were narrow, looking at the Mongol armor Ulfat wore.
Ulfat didn't flinch. He looked the leader straight in the eye. "Because I am offering you something your enemies never will… a war you don't have to fight, and a victory you don't have to earn."
The Ottoman leader paused. He had met many warriors, but never a boy who spoke with such absolute control. "Explain," he commanded.
Ulfat laid out the plan. He offered the Ottomans chests of Mongol gold in exchange for their uniforms and their silence. He explained how he would lure the Mongol 3rd Squad into a trap on the Japanese coast. The Ottomans would get the credit for defeating a Mongol elite unit without losing a single one of their own men.
"I am handing you the glory," Ulfat said softly. "All you have to do is be there to finish the job."
The leader shared a look with his generals. They saw no risk—only profit. "Very well," he agreed. "The uniforms and the cavalry will be ready."
The Battle of Hakata Bay
Three days later, the war began. On one side of the beach, the Samurai stood ready with their sharp katanas. On the other side, the Mongol ships arrived.
The battle was long and very bloody. The Mongols were losing. The Samurai were fighting like demons to protect their homes. Uktai Khan watched from his ship, and his face was red with anger.
"Retreat!" the Khan shouted. "We are losing too many men! We will go back and get more soldiers! We will return and crush them later!"
The Mongol ships started to move away from the shore. For a moment, it looked like the Samurai had won. But then, something strange happened.
From the trees, thousands of soldiers in Ottoman Empire uniforms appeared on the beach. To the Samurai, it looked like a brand-new army had arrived to help the Mongols. The Samurai were exhausted and scared. When they saw the strength of these "Ottoman" soldiers, they ran back into their fortress to hide.
But these were not real Ottomans. They were the Mongols that Ulfat had tricked. They stood on the sand, confused, waiting for their reward.
Suddenly, Ulfat appeared on a high cliff overlooking the beach. He pulled out a bow and launched a single arrow into the sky. It was the signal.
From the hills, the Real Ottoman Empire army charged down. They didn't come to help the men on the beach. They came to kill them. They attacked the disguised Mongols with full force. Because the Mongols were wearing Ottoman clothes, they couldn't even tell who was a friend and who was an enemy. They were slaughtered where they stood.
The Mountain of Fire
When the killing was over, the real Ottoman soldiers followed Ulfat's next order. They gathered all the bodies of the dead Mongols and piled them up in one place. It was a mountain of corpses.
They set the pile on fire.
The flames went high into the sky, turning the dark night into a bright, scary orange. Ulfat stood on the cliff and watched the fire. A close-up shot of Ulfat's eyes showed the reflection of the flames. He didn't cry. He didn't smile. He didn't even flinch. He just watched them burn.
A few miles away, Uktai Khan was coming back with his reinforcements. He saw the giant fire from his ship. When he got closer, his heart stopped. He recognized the armor. He realized these were his own men—the 3rd Squad, his best warriors—being burned like trash.
"The Ottomans..." the Khan whispered, his hands shaking. "They killed my men? They burned my army?"
The Khan looked up and saw a shadow standing on the cliff in front of the fire. He didn't know it was Ulfat. He thought it was a ghost of the war.
Ulfat looked down at the Khan's ship. The fire felt warm, but his heart was still cold. He touched the blue silk scarf under his armor and thought to himself:
"My revenge is not completed yet! This is just the start, Uktai Khan. You will lose everything, just like I did."